Calgary university students struggle with inflation and lingering pandemic effects

It’s not just first-year post-secondary students that were stepping foot on Calgary campuses for the first time this fall.

Students are back learning in-person for the first time in two years, and the University of Calgary (UCalgary) Students’ Union (SU) says it’s a far cry from the start of a typical school year.

Nicole Schmidt, president of the UCalgary SU, says several students in their second and third years are getting their first taste of university life on campus, and they face a number of new challenges.

“Very excited to be getting back to campus and courses in-person. But of course, they’re still facing challenges by not only government policies, but lingering effects of the pandemic,” Schmidt said.

She explains how the SU is helping thousands of students find their footing.

“The Student Union has been helping out with a lot of the different orientations and welcome back events that have been occurring on campus [over] the last few days. We’ve actually been running a welcome fair for students in MacEwan Hall, which is really the central hub for students on campus,” Schmidt said.

“In the next few weeks as well, we also have a number of other events going on, including clubs week, where students can walk around and look at all the different clubs that exist on campus.”

As thousands of students navigate on-campus life, they’re also struggling to afford post-secondary life.

According to Schmidt, students are paying more for everything.

“Thanks to provincial post-secondary cuts in Alberta, students at the University of Calgary are paying much more to attend university than they did during the pandemic back in 2019. This, combined with inflation, students are having a very hard time getting by, and they’re not getting ahead financially,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt says most students are paying about 25 per cent more for tuition than they did back in 2019. For students pursuing an engineering degree, it’s a 60 per cent tuition increase.

RELATED STORIES:

• Transitioning to in-person learning stressful for some

• Graduate student sleeps in car after Calgary housing troubles

• Canadian students met with surging rental market ahead of fall return to classes

  ---

CityNews has reached out to UCalgary about rising tuition costs.

“Despite recent increases, it is important to note that tuition at Alberta’s post-secondary institutions remains in line with comparator provinces,” Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides said in a statement.

He adds changes made to the post-secondary learning act in 2019 means student tuition will “only increase” in 2023-24.

Beyond tuition, Schmidt notes interest rates on student loans have increased, and students have to deal with increased cost of living and extreme difficulty finding a place to stay.

“The University of Calgary residence is actually full for the first time ever, and on top of that, Calgary is experiencing a less than one per cent vacancy rate currently. So, students who are returning to campus for the fall have really been struggling to find housing,” Schmidt said.

The SU created a rental housing board to connect landlords with students, and Schmidt says they have had some success in helping students find a place to live. However, she adds that combined with student struggles to find work over the summer months, it’s becoming a dire and unaffordable situation.